What equipment do I need?

When you sign up to a broadband provider, you’ll usually be given everything you need to get set up immediately, which will usually include a standard broadband modem that plugs into one of your computer’s USB (Universal Serial Bus) sockets, a microfilter attachment for your phone line and a CD loaded with connection software.

Of course, you can buy your own equipment that might better suit your own needs, such as a wireless modem or Ethernet router if you have more than one computer using the same connection.

We’ve assembled a check list of all the right bits you’ll need to get set up – what you’ll want to check your new provider provides, or what you might want to go out and get for yourself.

This is the little box which allows your computer to connect to the broadband internet service running through your phone line. They come in many forms; from a simple USB plug in box to multiple-connection wireless Ethernet routers. These are the essential types:

• Standard USB ADSL modem
  It plugs into an available USB port on your computer and is generally very simple to set up. Most USB ADSL modems allow one computer to connect to the internet at a time.
• Router
  A router is a little box that allows several computers to share a broadband connection to the internet simultaneously. Often incorporating an ADSL modem and offering more advanced features such as a firewall and port-forwarding, it plugs into your computer’s Ethernet port (it looks like a phone socket only bigger).
• Wireless router
  A wireless router is the same as a standard Ethernet router but with added wireless capability – which brings you the sometimes great freedom to use your PC or laptop computer anywhere within range of the access point. Wireless routers allow more than one connection at a time, and also feature firewall and other security functions.

A microfilter splits the voice and data signals on your phone line, so you can enjoy broadband while using your phone at the same time (unlike, for instance, a dial up internet connection).

While most laptops today feature integrated wireless connectivity, that is, they already have everything they need to connect to a wireless connection, some do require the use of a plug in card. These cards fit into the notebook-standard PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slots on your laptop (the PCMCIA slots are the little doors on the side of your laptop which are about the width of a mobile phone and around half a centimetre thick). Once the card is plugged in and set up (you’ll need to install appropriate driver software), you’ll be able to connect to a wireless network.

Check performance and operating system requirements – generally, if you have Windows XP or Windows 2000, you should have no difficulty getting set up. Here is a bare-minimum specification:

• CD-ROM drive
• a spare USB port (if you will be using the free bundled USB modem)
• minimum Pentium II 200 Mhz or equivalent
• 64MB RAM
• 200MB of free hard disk space
• Win 98 and above or Mac OS 8 and above

If you are using a USB ADSL modem, you will need to set up its own software on your computer. Your modem should come with all the relevant software – just pop in the CD and follow the steps. If you don’t have the relevant driver software, you’ll be able to find it free at the manufacturer’s website – you’ll need to find the software appropriate to your operating system and modem model, download it and run it.